International Birthday Swap

Assalamualaikum,

I'm back and this time it's an International birthday swap that i did with Emma Lindberg from Sweden. This was actually an un-planned swap, as i wasn't planning to swap with anyone until Rebecca the Admin from Be A Beauty Correspondent fixes my partner for the International Friendship Swap event which is sometime in July.

Emma somehow posted a status that she's having her birthday in May, and guess what we happen to share the very same birth date. We agreed to do a small swap for USD 25, but somehow ended up slightly more with the snacks. Plus it's a birthday swap so i wanted to put in more extra's in the parcel. I ended up getting her more treats than makeup items, but i guess i should have fulfill her obsession for lip balms (bought some lip ice for her).

So anyway's receive this lovely parcel from the posmen on the 6th of May and i couldn't wait to open. The anticipation was killing, but having my niece and nephew around doesn't help either, when the box is filled with loads of treats. So let's start digging in:-

 

This is the first thing i see when i opened the box.

Emma did messaged me earlier that i should read the card last. And somehow found out that her mom made this lovely vintage card for me, how lovely.

Treats from Sweden, you don't get this all the time. There's chocolates, sweets, hard candy, lolly's and lastly a huge candy cane.

Some small treats for Sofiah. She was practically excited with what Emma got for her. The ones in the clear packet is actually a bracelet made out of sweets.

Some toiletries and makeup from Emma. Wet wipes pure nectar (10pcs) which is just perfect to slot it in my handbag. Lypsyl Berry Blast Lip balm which i can't wait to try. The Essence Mini Lip Gloss which has a wonderful mauve shade. The Weleda citrus Hydrating Lotion - nice citrusy smell perfect size to slot it in my handbag. My first ever IsaDora Mascara Volume 2.0... this was Emma's favourite (can't wait to try it out either). And a pink shower thingy (sorry i don't know what it's called), i don't normally used one of this in the shower, but no harm using it from now on.

A cute silver windmill candle holder, along with two scented candles. This was such a lovely gift from Emma, haven't seen one of this in Malaysia as at yet.

This is another makeup surprise, it's an eyeshadow palette from Farg Cosmetics. Need to try and experiment it, In Shaa Allah will swatch and do a review on it soon.

Comfy blue socks with a Hawaiian theme on it, and beautiful pink rose studded earrings.

Oh and if you guys are wondering what i got her, below is the picture (Courtesy of Emma).

I actually got her some Lip Ice lip balms, mini Enchanteur  Lotions, nail polish, a guardian body wash and scrub set, a maybelline mascara. Some chocolates, sweets, chewing gums, Roller Coasters (which she loves, so got to send her some more sometime soon), DIY album, postcards of Malaysia, a phone hanger with her initial, key chain and a fridge magnet. And not forgetting some beauty samples.

So that's practically what i and she had for our birthday swap, and In Shaa Allah it would be a yearly thing. I guess that's about it for this post, till than 

Assalamualaikum ^_^

My 1st International Beauty Swap

Assalamualaikum,

Wanted to share with you lovely ladies on this concept of an International Beauty Box. Before i start elaborating, i actually found out about this concept from Cindy Tong (you can check her blog out at this link http://www.cindysplanet.com/) and i somehow got curious about it. 

As most of you might not know, there's actually a group in FB called Be A Beauty Correspondent (BABC), in this group they practically have girls/ladies from all over the world and the best part is you get to swap things with them at a budget that is agreeable to both parties. You can swap items from makeup, snacks and etc.

To get yourself in the group, you first have to send a PM to one of their admins and provide them with your details such as full name and mailing address before being allowed to join for security reasons.

Terms and conditions of the group will be provided before confirmation, once confirmed they will provide you a list of files which you can go and fill up your details such as birth date, where your from, questionnaire, links to your instagram, twitter, youtube channel or pinterest and so on.

But mind you, you must be 18 years old and above.

So that's practically it, will put the link to group below this post.

Okay so let's start to my first history of international swap. It actually took me about a month or so before i found a partner to swap. Alhamdulillah there was this new lady called Tabitha from UK and she happened to be new in the group, so we decided to do a budget of about 50 USD and decided on a date to post the parcel.

As this was my very first international swap i tried to fulfill what Tabitha wanted for her parcel. She's really against animal cruelty, so i had to end up getting her makeups that are cruelty free. I practically had to do some research and google makeup brands that are cruelty free. That was when i really shopped in Sephora (the first time i stepped into Sephora it was practically just window shopping no kidding). Being a Stay At Home Mum, sometimes you missed out on this kinda things.

Thankfully my lil sis was there, so while i was browsing and finding, she helped me to baby sit Sofiah. Most of the items i got for her are from Nyx and and some Jelly Beans from Candylicious (sorry couldn't find the picture).

Anyway i got my parcel few weeks later and guess what's inside.

Radiant Skincare by Benefit, till this very day i still have not touched or use the items in this set, b'coz this is the very first item from Benefit that i now own... sorry might sound a little 'jakun' but i can't help it. I don't get to own or splurge on expensive items all the time.

Some bibs and face towels for Sofiah and Jibreel from Disney.

Bath Bomb from Lush, yet to try since i don't have a bath tub to use it. 2 different lipsticks, eyeliner and a clear gloss in Vanilla from Natural Collection.

So that's about it and In Shaa Allah i will do a review on the makeup items sometime soon. Till than Assalamualaikum ^_^ 

* Here's the link to the group in FB https://www.facebook.com/groups/475501849129359/

Random Beauty Haul

Assalamualaikum / Hi,

I bought a few kinda things since December up to January. February i'm supposed to sit still at home since i'm nearing my due date, but still had to go out and get a hair cut before baby arrives. Anyway let's start.

Had a day out with the sis and went to checkout Festival Mall in Setapak. At the same time i had to shop for my first International Beauty Swap (which i will write in another post later). Had some unused vouchers from Worthy Books Ladies Edition and decided to drop by the Mask Slim outlet. After grabbing a few TT Mask for my beauty swap partner and myself (yes i had an excuse b'coz i was running out of mask, no kid). Decided to drop by Sasa and shop for a makeup remover. The very pleasant Sales Assistant was recommending me some other brand, but since my budget was around RM30 i couldn't afford the brand that she was promoting. 

She than suggested this makeup remover under Sasatinnie brand. They had two types one was rose and the other was chamomile. I decided to take the chamomile and i'm not sure if you can see, but the mixture in the bottle is actually separated in two, you have to shake the bottle prior to using it.

- Enriched with Chamomile Extract, this gentle remover cleanses away makeup and dirts while purifies skin without clogging pores. It's unique biphasic formula can be rinsed off easily which leaves skin supple and non-tacky - 

 

As you can see it's pretty obvious that the first swipe is not enough to remove the waterproof makeup. The fact is i have to keep wiping off my waterproof makeup a few times before it's totally cleared off my face, well mostly my eye area.

The item cost less than RM30 for a 180ml bottle, but i don't recommend purchasing this, b'coz it does leave a stinging feel especially if you're removing makeup around the eye area. Might look around and try out other brands. If you have any recommendation please do leave it in the comment box below.

Next thing that i purchased and tried out is this 2 in 1 Innovative Ampoule and Super Mask Treatment. I've heard of masks like this before but never tried it before. So when i saw this in Guardian at a promotional price of RM 13.88 for 2pcs (if i can remember), i decided to give it a try. I chose Double Intensive Whitening & Double Intensive Hydration (1 sheet in each packet + with 3ml ampoule).

  

This is how the ampoule looks like (excuse the distracting background). 

Double Intensive Whitening
- 3ml Brightening Serum
- 1 super fit absorption with use of Japan Cupra Mask Sheet

Contains 12 Korean herbal ingredients. Brightens and evens skin tone for a radiant complexion.


Double Intensive Hydration
- 3ml Brightening Serum
- 1 super fit absorption with use of Japan Cupra Mask Sheet

Contains 12 Korean herbal ingredients. Hydrates and softens the skin while promoting skin renewal. 

Though this is not the kind of mask i normally used (which by the way is TT Mask) but i decided to give this a try. And alhamdulillah, it works well with my skin. It's always nice trying out new brands and new methods. For eg for this mask, the first step is applying the ampoule all over the face. 2nd step is when you put the mask on and leave it on for 15-20 minutes. The ampoule is more of a watery texture, it reminds me of the Hado Labo product, whereby you just apply and keep tapping the face until the ampoule is half absorb, and than later layering the face sheet mask on.

And b'coz the item was already in the fridge, it leaves a cool feeling through out the whole time. I just massaged the residue that's left after removing the face mask to complete the whole regime. ^_^

Will i recommend this product, oh yes... especially when it's selling at a promotional price. I'm still not sure what's the retail price, will have to drop by Guardian again to check it out. 

Next product is the EOS Lip Balm in Summer Fruit. I found out about this item when Sabrina from http://www.sabrinatajudin.com/ did a review on it on her blog. Yes this is not the normal lip balm as you can see, it looks more like a lychee or rambutan without the hair of course... hahaha. 

Anyway i was so intrigue by it, i decided to give the FB page a visit. Yup she did leave the link on her blog and it's Beautiful Beauty Buys - Malaysia (FB). They have items ranging from Bath Body Works (BBW), EOS lip balms and etc. Some items are available in stock, while others are pre-order. 

Coincidence there was an opening for a pre-order in December 2013 and i decided to jump into the bandwagon. The ETA was sometime around Early-Mid January 2014, the item cost RM 28 including postage. 

Back in the US there are 8 different flavors to choose, but for BBB they only have 5 flavors available.

So if you ladies are interested in purchasing this product, which i know most of you will be tempted too, you can check out Beautiful Beauty Buys - Malaysia

*Verdict: Love, love, love the product not just b'coz it's cute and compact, but it also has a yummy scent and taste. You just feel like licking your lips all the time, but than it won't serve it's purpose which is to moisturize the lips, right. So In Shaa Allah in future if i have more funds, i'll purchase more which of course will be in other flavors. Coz it might take a while before it finishes. ;)

Ellips Hair Vitamin - Hair Treatment

Purchased this in Guardian with the lil sis, it was around RM 14 for 2 boxes. So we decided to share, she took one box and i took one box. It's pretty easy to use, just open the capsule and squeeze the product from the capsule. The scent is nice and it leaves the hair feeling moisturize. Would definitely purchase it again.

So that's about it for now, i have loads of pending post. Due to the lil angel i have now, all blog post are delayed. Will try to find some time to finish it up, so till than

Assalamualaikum ^_^